On their fifth album, the Granite Countertops perform a collection of cover songs by various artists from the 20th century we deem essential for the times, to create a new standard for 21st-Century alternative music.

Starting with a thrashy blast through an all-too-timely Woody Guthrie song and ending with a Velvetesque take on the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band’s most mystical moment of Zen, J Neo Marvin and Davis Jones find profound new corners in some of their all time favorite songs. In New Standards, the duo take on raw material from David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Kevin Ayers, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, John Lydon, and more, weaving their words and music into a fresh new sonic experience. Join the Granite Countertops as they build a vision for the future out of 15 precious pieces of their past.

Credits

released March 25, 2019

J Neo Marvin and Davis Jones: All vocals and instruments Michael Lyons: Special guest support vocal on Song From The Bottom Of A Well.

Ear Candle productions has just released the fourth album by the Granite Countertops, GIRLS CAN’T WAIT. 12 original songs performed entirely by Davis Jones and J Neo Marvin.

On their fourth album, the Granite Countertops return with a set of all-new original songs, two of which adapt the words of 14th century Persian Sufi poet Hafiz to address the world of 2018. An album of catchy post-punk, intense drones, lush vocal harmonies, gnarly guitars, quirky electronics, and hip-shaking beats. Girls Can’t Wait offers 12 songs about DIY art spaces, debased propaganda, dark nights of the soul, the healing power of love, and, especially, girls who can no longer wait.

“The Difference Between,” and “The Angels Know You Well,” from The Gift by Daniel Ladinsky, copyright 1999, and used by permission of the author.

At last all three albums from J Neo Marvin and The Content Providers are available for download in our store!

J Neo Marvin and The Content Providers produced three great records following the dark days after J Neo Marvin’s 18 year long partner Maati Stojanovich passed away in her sleep on May 5, 1996. The albums constitute a trilogy: 1) self, 2) other people, and 3) the world.

The songs remind us of how precious love and commitment to one’s own life traverses the meaningful changes inherent in the life and death cycle. If you are grieving, studying for a grieving role in theater, or doing scholastic studies on life and death and meaning making that heals, you will want to add these to your collection. You might just want to be reminded of how precious life is.

Either way, the music and the lyrics in all three albums, and the lovely heartfelt vocal and instrumental contributions of the 38 artists who joined in to support J Neo Marvin during his healing process, will penetrate your heart and soul.

In 2002, at a poetry reading/open mic at San Francisco’s legendary Hotel Utah Saloon, J Neo Marvin met his future wife and collaborator Davis Jones, who partnered to build Ear Candle Productions and contributes keys, percussion, and vocals on What Is Truth and Freedom Fried. The two melded creative spirits continue their partnership as the Granite Countertops and as the core couple of the Experimental Bunnies.

These three great albums are now available at Bandcamp, at reasonable prices for download. If you are interested in a physical CD, please shoot us an email and we will let you know about shipping fees and delivery dates. The CDs have beautiful artwork, and all of the lyrics in the inside sleeve.

J Neo Marvin resurfaced in 2001 with his first set of new songs since the breakup of his old band X-tal and the sudden death of his longtime companion Maati Stojanovich. Aided by a small group of family and friends, including Rico Bell of the Mekons, Carrie Bradley of Ed’s Redeeming Qualities, and Alan Korn of the Cat Heads, SLOWLY I TURNED is an intense yet melodic set of chamber-punk missives, filled with grief, desperation, dark humor, and hope.

WHAT IS TRUTH? takes its inspiration from psychedelic classics like Their Satanic Majesties Request and Magical Mystery Tour, resulting in an anything-goes approach that stretches the music in whatever direction each song calls for, from the Dylan-goes-to-New-Zealand folk-rock of “Primate House (1731 11th Ave)”, to the darkly sad chamber-punk of “Ex-Supernova” or “Stick Figure”, to the thumping “Mark E. Smith in Turkey backed by a jazz combo and a Rasta drum circle” ambiance on “Fiscal Year Zero (Charge Of The Lite Brigade)”, the catchy Celtic Mariachi drone of “Formerly Boomtown”, and the full-on joyful noise of “Kite Song”. 28 musicians and singers from all over the musical map contribute to the resulting sonic crazy quilt. Recorded exactingly yet spontaneously in good old-fashioned lysergic 16-track analog by the incomparable Wally Sound, WHAT IS TRUTH? will astonish you with its musical twists and sharp songwriting.

CDBaby: Psychedelic indie folk-rock with compassionately confrontational lyrics. The bracing, satisfying sensation of biting into a raw clove of garlic. Like Lou Reed fronting the Incredible String Band and covering Mekons songs. Also available at CD Baby

FREEDOM FRIED

FREEDOM FRIED, the third release from J Neo Marvin & the Content Providers, ranges from melodic folk-pop to snarly garage-rock and beyond, all adding up to an unflinching portrait of the state of the union in the first decade of the 21st century. It’s music for Americans who have found their home transformed into an occupied country, for foreigners who no longer recognize the once-admired, now scarier than ever, land of rock and roll, blue jeans and silly pop culture, and for any and all human beings who refuse to be stomped into submission.

CDBaby: Freedom Fried ranges from richly harmonious folk-pop to snarly garage-rock and beyond, all adding up to an unflinching portrait of the state of the union, circa summer 2004. Also available at CD Baby

Audio Training: Learn about the profession of FCC RadioTelephone Operators.

The Granite Countertops have released a new musical fast paced single that is also an educational audio training. Take the training, and suggest this to your friends! This profession requires no education, just study and pass the FCC test uses resources embedded in this announcement. Click the link below to purchase this audio release.

The audio embeds data that leads the learner to locate resources to train, test, and operate as a Radio Telephone operator. This does not provide jobs, but in the training learner is readied to join job networks, prepared to perform the duties upon successful completion of tests to gain the license.

Breaking news: We have now put the entire X-tal catalog on Bandcamp. Here are the complete works of the venerable San Francisco underground band, all in one place for the first time ever. You can find them all right here.

Ear Candle Productions now has a Bandcamp presence! We love Bandcamp and support and patronize our friends there, so it makes sense to bring our three active artists into the fold. Bandcamp has, over a scant few years, grown into a vast and intricate community of independent artists as well as a gorgeous platform where curious listeners can sample an artist’s wares and buy individual tunes or whole albums on the spot.

The penultimate video from the Granite Countertops album, PLANETS DON’T TWINKLE. (One more to go!) Let’s just say it stands for “free form spectacular”, or maybe “familiar frustration song”. A cry from the heart. Whimsical and deadly serious. Here, have some noise.

Hits: 63

Posts navigation

LISTEN TO EAR CANDLE RADIO

The station that will never die is back to bring you the finest sounds of the past, present, and future. We travel the spaceways and burrow through the treasure caves to bring you the greatest sounds of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Click here to join us in our endless quest for the music of the spheres.

Donations

Ear Candle Productions, at our own discretion, provides Public Art Programs that record events for free because we feel the event is worth documenting and we just can't resist. If you are a lucky recipient of free or low cost footage from us documenting your work, please donate here so that we can continue these programs.